Culture Sector

Zambia ratifies 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
 

The Government of Zambia recently ratified the Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Convention which was adopted in October 2003 by the UNESCO General Conference seeks:

• To safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;

• To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned;

• To raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof;

• To provide for international cooperation and assistance

The Convention came into force on the 20th of April 2006 and 47 countries had ratified it. Zambia joined other African countries such as Algeria, Gabon, Central African Republic, Mali, Egypt, Nigeria, and Senegal that had already ratified it.

Speaking after the convention entered into force, the UNESCO Director General Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura said, “The entry into force of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage; just 30 months after its adoption by the General Conference, bears witness to the interest born by Member States for the protection of cultural diversity and human creativity. Contemporary lifestyles and the process of globalization are undermining considerably the living cultures inherited through tradition. By offering them adequate means for their preservation, this instrument fills a legal loophole.”

This important instrument can be compared to the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage which caters for tangible heritage.

Zambia’s decision to ratify the Convention is a major milestone in the protection of intangible heritage in Southern Africa. Meanwhile, efforts are currently underway for other countries in the UNESCO Harare Cluster to ratify the Convention. A Coordination Meeting for the Gule Wamkulu Safeguarding project was held in Lilongwe, Malawi from the 17th to the 19th of July 2006. The meeting that brought together Chewa chiefs, Gule Wamkulu practitioners and other key stakeholders was meant to provide necessary elements for the finalisation of the project document.

Delivering a keynote address, UNESCO Harare Cluster Office Culture Programme Specialist, Ms. Mulekeni Ngulube urged the Gule Wamkulu practitioners and representatives of the Chewa community to be proud of their culture that is being recognised as one of the world’s masterpieces of intangible cultural heritage. She also noted that UNESCO would continue supporting member states in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

“As UNESCO we are committed to supporting you in ensuring that your intangible cultural heritage is properly safeguarded,” she said. “This is the heritage that gives you a sense of identity and you should guard it jealously. UNESCO only comes in to assist you and expects you to be in the forefront of preserving your culture and make sure that the future generations will partake of it.”

She also highlighted that UNESCO was optimistic that other governments in the sub-region would follow the example set by Zambia in ratifying the 2003 Convention.

“UNESCO will continue to support projects on both tangible and intangible cultural heritage in your countries. We also hope that many governments in this region will follow Zambia in ratifying the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” she said.

For more information contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org.

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